Is it possible to mitigate Chinese ambitions with trade and patience?

While the Chinese government is stressing the fact that the Chinese troops have not crossed the Line of actual control (LAC) in Ladakh blaming Indian media for raking up the issue unnecessarily and forcing New Delhi to take stern decision on one side, it is also appreciating the calm and the mature response of the Indian foreign ministry which discussed the issue without calling it an invasion on the other hand. This is forcing us to believe that china is now looking for a face saving solution; in recent briefing to one of the newspapers Hua Chunying ministry spokeswoman claimed that the borders are not demarcated which makes it inevitable for the problems like this to crop up. Clearly now LAC has been replaced by the word “BORDER”.

The tightly controlled Chinese internet space is filled up with scads of accusations that India is playing foul upon a non-issue over an allegedly fake infiltration by the country’s army. There are speculations that whether Indians are fishing in troubled waters? Working in cooperation with Japan? There is an uproar in Chinese cyber space which vehemently claims India is deliberately trying to damage China’s image at a time when Beijing

is engaged in serious disputes with its sea neighbors including Japan. There are suggestions that India has joined a US conspiracy to raise the bogey of “Chinese military threat“. “It’s worth noting that China’s neighboring countries, the Philippines, Japan, and Vietnam, are creating trouble and throwing up territorial issues.

From the strategic point of view, India will not indulge itself into any sort of hasty and stern decision taking into consideration the fact that China’s economy is four times India’s size. It has a much greater capacity to prosecute any conflict anywhere in India. If we look at the military base of China it has more nuclear weapons by a factor of three and conventional weapons there is a gaining mismatch as well.

China has two times active military personnel as well. It’s Army has the bonus of heights and infrastructure along our northern border, has better equipment, makes so much more of it’s arm and therefore can fight a longer and wider war. A fight with China would be disastrous in any way. Let us not repeat 1962. For the time being all eyes will be glued to Salman Khurshid’s visit to China regarding the same issue and come up with positive solution. Indians need to wait with patience and give some time to PLA commanders to retrench who got too over ambitious.
From China’s point of view, they will try to maintain cordial & friendly relations with India as it has huge business interest with the nation. Any sort of aggressiveness will hamper it’s trade relation with the country. It is estimated that Chinese exports to India will exceed to $57 billion this year as compared to Indian exports to china which is merely $14billion.

With the slowing down of economies, the recent agony worldwide including china as well, it’s export to India will be of vital interest. It is very imperative for both the nations to improve their relation and make it concrete by indulging into commercial engagement.

India needs to use Indo-China trade as a tool in its favour. India is a market of Chinese goods and it will not be in China’s interest to loos such a potential market.